Many parents can remember a time when they could easily work their way
             through university with a decent summer job. Student loans were available to make up for any shortfall, and they came with generous grants. Paying those student loans off when they finished school was easier then, simply because the amounts were not nearly as large as they are today. Too many of today's parents with young children have been lulled into a false sense of security by counting on their own generation's experience; false because significant changes have taken place over the last decade. Tuition fees have risen dramatically, out-pacing inflation, as government funding has drastically been cut back. The cap has been taken off many professional degree programs and the universities can now charge what the market will bear. The cost of a typical four-year university education in Ontario has more than doubled in the last ten years. In addition, new fees have been implemented through student's union, athletic and health service costs, plus the introduction of new registration, student services or undergraduates fees. As a result, student debt loads have been spiralling, doubling over the last decade, and enrolment rates of young people from lower socio-economic groups are rising far slower than middle and upper groups. Continued public under-funding is eroding the accessibility and equality at post-secondary institutions in Ontario. The failure of both levels of government to adequately invest in post-secondary education holds dire consequences for Ontario's, and Canada's, economic and social future. Governments must recognize the renewed public investment in post-secondary education is an economic and social imperative.
             The Conservative government in Ontario has slashed post-secondary education funding and jacked up tuition fees, limiting access to colleges and universities at a time when many employers demand a post secondary d...